A 26-year-old youth from the Xie Family headed over in Nie Yan and Xie Yao's direction.
The dinner party went on like normal. This minor distraction had no influence on the people in the hall as a whole.
Xie Jun was deeply worried. The resistance Nie Yan and Xie Yao faced would be enormous if the family were to oppose their relationship. He viewed Nie Yan quite highly. During the previous kidnapping attempt on Xie Yao, if it weren't for Nie Yan intervening, the situation could've turned a lot worse. In regards to personal character, Nie Yan was outstanding. The only thing Nie Yan lacked was backing. He might not care, but the Xie as a large dynasty cared greatly about social status.
Nie Yan and Xie Yao had no idea an impending crisis was looming over them.
At this moment, Mo Yuntian had finished his discussion. He waved his hand, signalling for the people beside him to leave. Bored and with little interest, he stared at the glass in his hand.
Seeing Mo Yuntian's expression wasn't so solemn, the mayor and deputy mayor standing off to the side breathed a sigh of relief.
Mo Yuntian swept his eyes over the hall before his gaze landed on Nie Yan. His eyes flickered with surprise. He didn't expect Nie Yan to attend this gathering.
Mo Yuntian got up from his seat.
The entire hall quieted down. Everyone's gazes fell on Mo Yuntian, wondering what he would do next.
His every little action affected the nerves of the people here.
Mo Yuntian noticed the strange atmosphere and waved his hand. "Continue on. Don't mind me." He walked over toward Nie Yan.
Everyone turned away, pretending to carry on with their previous conversation. However, they were all stealing glances at Mo Yuntian from the corners of their eyes.
The Xie Family was no exception. Noticing Mo Yuntian appeared to be heading towards Xie Yao and Nie Yan, Xie Yu turned to his son and said in a deep tone, "Xie Jun, have Xie Ming come back."
"Understood." Xie Jun was also surprised. He hurriedly texted Xie Ming.
Xie Ming was about to reach Nie Yan and Xie Yao, when he received the text. He nodded and slowly retreated back.
The Xie Family held their collective breath, their eyes laser-focused on Mo Yuntian. He did stop in front of Nie Yan and Xie Yao!
Nie Yan and Xie Yao had long since noticed Mo Yuntian walking over to them. Nie Yan stood up and politely greeted, "Good evening, General Yuntian."
Ever since Mo Yuntian arrived at the dinner party, even a fool could tell he was an extremely important figure. Nie Yan didn't dare to be as casual as before. One word from Mo Yuntian could decide the fate of World Bloc. If he offended Mo Yuntian, the consequences would be grave.
Xie Yao was struggling on how she should address Mo Yuntian, only for him to wave his hand with a laugh. "You two can call me uncle here."
Xie Yao glanced at Nie Yan. Seeing him nod, she obediently greeted, "Good evening, Uncle Yuntian."
Mo Yuntian looked over Xie Yao with a smile and turned to Nie Yan. "Brat, you've really got some ability, finding yourself such a pretty girlfriend. She looks much more reliable than all those girls Lei Su finds."
Nie Yan scratched his head and chuckled. He didn't expect Mo Yuntian would joke with him like this.
"How's that matter I entrusted you with going?" Mo Yuntian switched to a more serious topic after teasing Nie Yan and Xie Yao a little.
"Rest assured. Everything is going smoothly."
"Good, good." Mo Yuntian nodded.
Mo Yuntian dropped his stern, wooden expression, as he happily chatted with Nie Yan and Xie Yao. He even seemed amiable and friendly! The others in the hall could hardly believe their eyes, a commotion slowly growing. Where was the air of arrogance the general usually exuded!? No, it seemed like he was chatting with friends!
"That's the Xie Family's young lady, Xie Yao! Who's the other guy?"
"How am I supposed to know? I've never seen him before in my life."
Few people in the dinner party knew Nie Yan. From their perspective, World Bloc wasn't worthy of their attention.
Father Nie was also dumbstruck. He watched on in shock and dazed, nearly dropping his glass. He had no idea Nie Yan knew Mo Yuntian. He really wanted to ask his son if he was even aware of Mo Yuntian's identity.
The few associates next to Father Nie also looked over at Nie Yan, Mo Yuntian, and Xie Yao happily chatting.
"Eh, isn't that your son, Chief Nie?" One person recognized Nie Yan. He had seen Nie Yan walking around before during business meetings at World Bloc's headquarters. So, he had at least that much of an impression of him.
All the people in the surroundings, many of whom were the bosses of large companies, turned to stare at Father Nie in shock.
"Yes, that's my immature brat of a son," Father Nie replied with a smile, suppressing the excitement in his heart.
Even though Father Nie tried to remain calm, he couldn't keep the excitement and pride from leaking out in his voice. He had no idea how Nie Yan came to know Mo Yuntian. But being able to associate with a figure of that level itself was proof of his son's excellence. Most of the people here didn't have the qualifications to even speak to Mo Yuntian, let alone so familiarly.
"No need to be so humble, Chief Nie. I heard your son scored number one in the overall rankings for the entrance exam of the Top Military Academy."
Seeing Mo Yuntian regarding Nie Yan so highly, the several big bosses in the surroundings looked at Father Nie in a different light. They suddenly took the initiative to greet him.
Information that the person Mo Yuntian was speaking with was the son of Father Nie somehow got around to Bureau Chief Hong. A cold sweat broke out from his fat, wrinkled forehead. World Bloc was actually associated with Mo Yuntian! He knew very well what kind of person Mo Yuntian was. One could tell his authority just from the reactions of the mayor and deputy mayor. When Mo Yuntian sat down, the two obediently waited upon him, not even daring to let out a fart. Meanwhile, he was just a small bureau chief in charge of managing the port. If Mo Yuntian didn't like him, he could be easily crushed to death like an ant!
All of a sudden, Bureau Chief Hong couldn't hold back any longer. He hurried over to Father Nie.
"Ah, Chief Nie. I just received word from higher up. Your application is already being processed. You should receive your approval within the next three-no, two days at most!"
"Ah, I suppose I should thank you then, Mr. Hong," Father Nie replied curtly. Bureau Chief Hong's fat and sweaty face evoked a sense of disgust within him.
Seeing that Father Nie didn't seem to like him very much, Hong Yan awkwardly laughed. "You're too kind. You're too kind! I'm only doing my job. You'll have to forgive me. It really was our fault it took so long. If World Bloc ever has a problem at the port, come find me. I'll do my utmost to settle it. Hehehe," he said in a fawning tone.
Father Nie understood having a falling out with a petty person like Hong Yan would only result in resentment. That would be too much of a hassle. So, he simply curtly nodded.
The Xie Family also didn't expect such a turn of events.
Xie Yu turned to Xie Jun and asked, "What's going on here? When did Xie Yao meet General Yuntian?"
"Xie Yao has never met General Yuntian before. This is their first time meeting. I believe it's Nie Yan that knows him," Xie Jun replied. This was what he'd derived from observing how Mo Yuntian interacted with Nie Yan and Xie Yao.
Xie Yu pondered for a moment. Judging from the earlier scene, this really did seem to be the case.
"That boy is called Nie Yan?" Xie Yu asked.
"Yes, Father." Xie Jun nodded with a smile. He understood the situation had taken a turn.
"Invite him over to our company some time," Xie Yu said. His expression was ordinary, making it difficult for people to tell what he was thinking. He took his glass and downed his drink in one gulp.
Xie Yi was incredibly vexed. She had no idea Nie Yan knew someone so high up. With Mo Yuntian's status and identity, even if the two were only ordinary friends, the ramifications were serious.
Xie Jun suddenly recalled something. "I previously heard from my contacts in the Top Military Academy Nie Yan joined Heavenly Kings, but I didn't dare to confirm myself. Mo Yuntian is an alumnus of the school. I heard he's also a member of Heavenly Kings."
Heavenly Kings? The hand Xie Yu was holding his glass with trembled, betraying the shock he felt inside. Just how many youths of the Xie Family entered the Top Military Academy all for the sake of joining Heavenly Kings? However, none of them were qualified. He understood what kind of organization Heavenly Kings was. In the entire country, be it the political, military, or commercial sphere, they played an influential role.
"Perhaps Nie Yan is only an external member. Even our Xie Family isn't qualified. With World Bloc's strength, how could he possibly be?" Xie Yi argued. She wasn't willing to believe Nie Yan was already a member of Heavenly Kings.
"Do you think Mo Yuntian would act so familiarly with an external member?" Xie Jun refuted.
Mo Yuntian's attitude toward Nie Yan was clear proof of his status. Nie Yan was a member of Heavenly Kings. There was no other explanation.
Xie Yi still wanted to say something, but Xie Yu raised his hand and stopped her.
"That's enough out of you." Xie Yu turned to Xie Jun. "When are you going to invite that boy over?"
Xie Yu's attitude toward Nie Yan had taken a complete 180. Xie Jun broke into a relieved smile. If Xie Yu also agreed, there would be no resistance to Nie Yan and Xie Yao's relationship.
The dinner party reached halfway. Mo Yuntian had some business to attend to and left first.
After Mo Yuntian left, many people came over to Nie Yan and Xie Yao. Nie Yan was incredibly annoyed. In an attempt to be left alone, the two decided to also leave early.
Even though Nie Yan had left, World Bloc became the life of the party. Father Nie secured many business deals with the bosses of several large corporations. At the same time, the Xie Family also sent people over to express their goodwill.
The Glory Financial Group was powerful. Furthermore, they were also the family of his daughter-in-law. Even though Xie Yi's attitude rubbed him the wrong way, Father Nie gave Xie Jun face and didn't bother bickering. The two quickly struck up a few cooperative deals.
After this event, World Bloc's businesses in every market would once more undergro massive growth. Thanks to Mo Yuntian's influence, the other parties all offered extremely generous terms. World Bloc's rise to prominence was just around the corner.